Assam MLA Gopinath Das is untraceable: Police

The Assam Police have made it clear on Sunday that they are yet to trace the Assam MLA Gopinath Das, accused of raping a minor girl, who was working as a domestic help in his house. It has been exactly a week since the victim has booked an FIR against the MLA, accusing him of sexual assault. However, the Police said that they are unable to trace the whereabouts of the three-times MLA.

Kamrup SP Indrani Barua said, “we have conducted several raids and searched for the accused MLA at several places. But we have not been able to find him. We will arrest him the moment we find him”. The Police official added that the cell phone of the accused was switched off since the outcome of the FIR against him.

Gopinath Das, elected as a MLA for the third time, is currently with the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF). A case under Section 343 of the IPC along with sections 4 and 5 (B) of POCSO Act has been registered against him.

On the other hand, the victim girl aged 14, was sent to the Children’s Home for Girls in Jalukbari, Guwahati. Her mother said she doesn’t have a Birth certificate as she never went to school. “My daughter used to work as a domestic help in nearby houses since she was four years-old.” The victim’s mother said that the girl has been in the MLA’s house since one and-a-half months.

The FIR registered under the girl’s name said that the MLA assaulted the girl in his car on August 29. The FIR read that the girl managed to escape from the MLA’s house on September 5th and registered an FIR with the police on September 6th, 2015, the Indian Express reported.

The minor girl’s mother said that a woman Puspalatha Biswas, has taken her daughter to the MLA with a promise of Rs.1,000 a month, which is yet to be received. The police said that Pushpalatha’s cell has been switched off and the woman has not been traced.

The incident describes the social conditions prevailing in the Eastern states of India. The Government in Assam failed both in addressing the issue of Child Labor and providing a protective environment for even a minor, with the Politicians itself indulging in heinous acts.